"A [preacher] who does not love art, poetry, music and nature can be dangerous. Blindness and deafness toward the beautiful are not incidental; they are necessarily reflected in his [preaching]." — BXVI

09 February 2014

3 Types of Destitution (Revised)

In imitation of our
Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our
brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take
practical steps to alleviate it.

Destitution is
not the same as poverty: destitution is poverty without faith,
without support, without hope. There are three types of destitution:
material, moral and spiritual.

Material
destitution is what is normally called poverty, and affects those
living in conditions opposed to human dignity: those who lack basic
rights and needs such as food, water, hygiene, work and the
opportunity to develop and grow culturally. In response to this
destitution, the Church offers her help, her diakonia, in
meeting these needs and binding these wounds which disfigure the face
of humanity. In the poor and outcast we see Christ’s face; by
loving and helping the poor, we love and serve Christ. Our efforts
are also directed to ending violations of human dignity,
discrimination and abuse in the world, for these are so often the
cause of destitution. When power, luxury and money become idols, they
take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth. Our
consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality,
simplicity and sharing.

No less a concern
is moral destitution, which consists in slavery to vice and
sin. How much pain is caused in families because one of their members
– often a young person - is in thrall to alcohol, drugs, gambling
or pornography! How many people no longer see meaning in life or
prospects for the future, how many have lost hope! And how many are
plunged into this destitution by unjust social conditions, by
unemployment, which takes away their dignity as breadwinners, and by
lack of equal access to education and health care. In such cases,
moral destitution can be considered impending suicide.

This type of
destitution, which also causes financial ruin, is invariably linked
to the spiritual destitution which we experience when we turn
away from God and reject his love. If we think we don’t need God
who reaches out to us through Christ, because we believe we can make
do on our own, we are headed for a fall. God alone can truly save and
free us.*